"I think it's the right verdict. I think that these women did an outstanding job testifying. Testifying in a rape case is one of the hardest things that anybody will ever do. Testifying to the person that assaulted you is so traumatic, and they all stood very strong and very determined and never wavered, and I think they deserve all the credit along with the police,” said Ditka.

Ditka spoke with the victims after the verdict and described their reaction.

"I think there is an overwhelming sense of relief. I think, for the first time in over a year, these people will have a good night's sleep,” Ditka said.

Richard Narvin was a court-appointed counsel, assigned by the judge to provide Henderson with legal advice when he wanted it.

"The commonwealth presented, I think, a good case, which had strong evidence. I think the verdict was reasonably supported by the evidence given,” Narvin said.

Two prominent local defense attorneys contacted by Channel 4 Action News did not have a high opinion of Henderson acting as his own attorney.

Phil DiLucente and Patrick Thomassey quoted the proverb that "an attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client."

Dilucente said, "Anyone who needs any type of legal representation should see a lawyer. I think it's a big mistake on the defendant's part."

As the jury was deliberating, Thomassey said, "I'm sure the judge thinks it's silly. The important thing is the jury will think it's sillier. They will think he is absolutely, positively guilty."

Henderson will remain in custody as he awaits his sentencing March 26. After hearing the jury's verdict, he asked Judge Donna Jo McDaniel, "Your honor, may I say something?"

"No, sir,” the judge answered. Allegheny County Sheriff's deputies then led Henderson away in hand and ankle cuffs.

Henderson was convicted of raping a total of three women in two counties in January 2012. The victims included two women in Ross Township, one at the Woodhawk Club Apartments and one at the Cascade Apartments.

Police said the third victim was raped in her townhouse in Hopewell Township, Beaver County, after Henderson followed her home from her 50th birthday celebration at the Rivers Casino.

The victims testified to being raped at gunpoint at their homes -- one, in front of her baby, while her fiancé was bound and gagged.

Henderson was found not guilty in the robbery of a man, which took place on a separate occasion, unrelated to the rapes.

In his closing statement, Henderson told the jury that the prosecution "Didn't bring one piece of physical evidence against me ... it's impossible … it's a lie."

He later ridiculed DNA evidence linking him to each of three rapes, saying, "My DNA isn't a crime, my DNA is not illegal." Henderson told the jury, "It's not proof of anything but that we had sex."

Henderson claimed that he's the victim of a conspiracy, saying, "I'm being set up," and "I was a target from the beginning.”

"I am the only one that has proof. I have proof that these crimes haven't been committed by me,” Henderson claimed.

He said the prosecution’s case "Don't make sense, it don't add up."

He criticized the testimony of the three rape victims and the police who investigated the cases, saying that much of what was said on the stand against him were lies. He said the police investigation was "Not detective work, it's frame work."

About one victim, Henderson argued, "She stated I made her have sex with a gun to her head. How do you have sex under those conditions?"

He claimed he would have had to drive at more than 120 miles an hour to make it from one crime scene in Hopewell Township to another in Ross Township. The prosecution said he had up to 45 minutes to make that trip at normal speeds.

Henderson told the jury, "It didn't happen. I didn't rape them.” He insisted, "I'm being set up … it's a lie."

He told the jurors they can't put "an innocent man in jail," warning them they'd "have to live with that."

Henderson asked them, "Did they prove anything? Did they prove a single accusation?" He insisted, “They didn’t link me to anything.”

When he raised his voice, saying, "You can't allow this,’ McDaniel cautioned Henderson that he cannot appeal to the jury's emotions.

At another point, the judge cautioned him that he was rambling and repeating himself. Henderson later pleaded to jurors, asking, "Please be fair, just be fair," and saying, "I want my life back too.”

In her closing statement to the jury, Ditka said if they believe the testimony of the victims, that alone under the law is enough to convict Henderson.

But she said the evidence against Henderson is much greater than the standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Ditka said, "This has been proven beyond any and all doubt.”

She cited an expert witness that the odds against the DNA taken from the three rape victims being anyone other than Henderson is more than a quintillion to one.

Ditka also outlined the case investigators built against Henderson, following leads from witnesses, security cameras, and the victims' statements.

She said security and traffic cameras showed Henderson's SUV following one victim home from the Rivers Casino, and then on McKnight Road near the scene of another victim. Henderson was stopped and questioned by police near a third rape scene in a vehicle matching witness statements and camera evidence. Evidence was later recovered from his SUV. Ditka also described details of each of the rapes, pointing out similarities in the words and actions of the attacker.

The prosecutor urged the jury, "Please do not be distracted by the sometimes circus-like behavior of the defendant." Ditka said, "These people were victimized" and Henderson "was the one who did it."

Copyright 2013 byWTAE.comThe Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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